Protecting and engaging voters

Rooted in the movement that secured the right to vote for women, the League of Women Voters has worked to foster civic engagement and enhance access to the vote since the LWV was founded in 1920.

Over time, the League's work has evolved from efforts to gain and foster women's suffrage to ensuring that all eligible voters-particularly those from traditionally underrepresented or underserved communities have the opportunity and the information to exercise their right to vote. This includes first-time voters, non-college youth, new citizens, minorities, the elderly and low-income Americans.

Through national programs and state-based volunteer activists, the League uses public education, advocacy, grassroots organizing and legal strategies to engage, support and protect voters. The League's voter service work falls into five categories:

Voting Rights: The LWV seeks to protect and expand voting rights through proactive reforms, ensuring existing pro-voter laws are being followed and challenging voter suppression tactics that limit the ability of voters' to exercise this basic right. The League opposes voter photo ID laws, advocates against barriers to the voter registration process, works to prevent last-minute Election Day barriers, and helps voters get what they need to vote.

Improving Elections: The League works to improve how elections operate at all levels and supports proactive reforms to keep our nation's elections free, fair, and accessible. The LWV seeks to modernize registration and voting processes, streamline the administration of elections and promote transparent and accountable redistricting.

Registering Voters: League volunteers hold thousands of voter registration drives across the country each year and encourage all citizens to vote. The League concentrates registration drives at locations that reach large numbers of unregistered voters, including high schools and community colleges, sporting events, naturalization ceremonies and more. The LWV will be encouraging registration at County Fairs and the State Fair in Indiana this summer.

Educating Voters: The League works to educate voters about candidates running for elected office and the state-specific rules governing the election process. In efforts to foster civic engagement, League members host hundreds of candidate debates and forums across the country each year and prepare straightforward voter guides on candidates and ballot issues. The LWV equips millions of voters with critical information about the election process in each state, including information on voter registration forms and deadlines, polling place locations and ID requirements , through both print materials and VOTE411.org, the League's online one-stop elections information hub.

The Montgomery County Candidates Forum for all county candidates on the November, 2014 ballot will be held on Thursday, October 16, at the 4-H Building sponsored by the LWV, Chamber of Commerce and Business and Professional Women. Mark your calendar and save the date!

DC Voting Rights: The LWV also advocates for the rights of citizens of the District of Columbia to be afforded the same rights of self-government and full voting representation in Congress as are all other citizens of the United States.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan, multi-issue political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to educate the public on public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. All men and women are invited to join LWV where hands on work to safeguard democracy leads to civic improvement. For information about the League, visit the website www.lwvmontco.org; send a message to PO Box 101, Crawfordsville, IN 47933; or e-mail lwvmontco@gmail.com.

It is alarming that the LWV, who supposedly advocates for a free and fair election process, has taken an official position to oppose the Voter ID law. What is the LWV alternative solution to ensure that a person be an actual U.S. citizen in order to vote?This comment has been hidden due to low approval.